Refrigerator latch



Sept. 16, 1941. w. o. BURKE 2,256,447

' REFRIGERATOR LATCH Filed May 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 In mil \lllllmm I gill/ gum INVENTOR.

William afiurke 157$ ATTORNEY.

bolt structure, looking in Patented Sept. 16,1941 1 I UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE I A miraldl ai ti 'fzl rA'rcn William 0. Burke, Rockford, Ill., assignor to National Lock 00., Rockford, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Application May 5, 1939, Serial No. 271,851

' Claims.

This invention has as its object the provision of improvements in a refrigerator latch, one of handle is turned, the yoke portionalso serving as a guide means for the lever. v

Another object is the provision of a stamped bolt which is pivotally mounted on the casing and which is provided with an attaching pin pivotally engaging an end of the operating lever, the stamping having a tongue turned inwardly and slotted" to fit around an end of the lever and limit the movement of the latter in cooperationlwith the aforesaid forked formation on the operating handle.

Another object is'the provision of an adjust able keeper-for the bolt which includes a bracket recessedto receive a keeper piece which is adjustably secured thereto by a single screw, the keeper and bracket-having interlocking formations meeting with the screw to secure the keeper in a position of adjustments Still another object is the provision of a novel keeper mechanism including a roller keeper and means for adjustably mounting the same with respect to the bolt, and a bolt having a keeper formed thereon for camming and locking cooperation with the roller keeper.

Other objects, advantages and economies residing in the invention relate to certain details 'of construction, as well as the arrangement and mode of operation of the parts of the illustrative embodiment described hereinafter in view of the annexed drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the latch and keeper;-

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the latch in Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through a modified form of the latch structure including the adjustable roller keeper and keeper bolt;

Fig.7 is a perspective of the adjustable roller keeper;

Fig. 8 is a perspective of the keeper bolt with portions of the operating mechanism; while Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of the latch as viewed in the direction of line 99 of Fig. 6.

The preferred embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1 includes a cast housing I0 adapted for attachment by bolt means H to a refrigerator door I2; there being an operating han dle l3 mountedon a pintle I4 within the housing. A rocking bolt structure I5 is mounted on-a pintle l6 at an 'end of the housing and is equipped with a when I! secured by pin means l8 extended between opposite arms 19 of the bolt unit, and in a position. for engagement with a hook-shaped keeper '20 secured to the jam of the door by means such as the bolts 2| extended through the base of a mounting bracket 22.

'Means for operating the bolt, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3; includes a reciprocable operating lever 25 pivotally attached at its left-hand end to a pin 26 secured between the opposite sides IQ of the bolt unit. The opposite end of the lever is providedwith an elongated slot 21 which embraces a pin 28 so that the lever may shift ,30 back and forth from right to left and rock the bolt unit [5 into and cut oflatching engagement with its keeper 20. The bolt lever is normally urged into latchingposition by a spring 29 mounted on the lever with one of its ends bear The operating handle. l3 (Fig. 2) has at offset the lever. Thus, the bolt is pivoted in an anti-' clockwise direction into latching position as seen in Fig. 2;

portions 33 for bearingengagement with rollers closed position as seen in the direction of line 34 mounted on opposite sides of the lever 25 by a headed pin 35. A suitable spring 36 is mounted on the pintle M on the handle within the housing to urge the handle into a normal position with the yoke portions 3l-33 bearing against the roller 34 ..on the bolt operatinglever; as repoutwardly of the housing so as to cause the bifurcated portions 3l-3233 to bear against the openings ll, the minimizedsize of the extension the confronting surfaces of this'recessed portion inside of the latter, that is, behind the keeper where it will be inaccessible so long as the bolt of the keeper and bolt mechanism. The basic rollers 34 and shift the lever 2| toward the right against the eflort of the spring 2], thus pivoting the bolt unit in a clockwise direction away from the keeper 2|.

One of the features of the latch structure is the provision of a locking tailat the end of the lever 26 and which is adapted to shift beneath a pair of registered lock hasp receiving openings-4| (Fig. 3) cast into an extension 42 on the housing.- As illustrated in Fig. l,- the hasp portion 43 of a padlock may be passed 42 also tending to defeat breakage by blows directed particularly against this part .of the housing. The bolt unit I! is constructed in an especial manner by stamping, from a single piece of stock. the opposite wall portions I! joined by e an intermediate or connecting wall portion "a.

(Figs. 1; 2 and 5). This intermediate wall portion has an extended tongue part l9b Whichis bent inwardly between. the .opposite wallrportlons l9 and slotted asat I90 (Figs. 2 and 5) to fit over the end portion of the operating lever adjacent the pin it and provide a means for limiting thelateral movement of the lever relative to ,the pins 26 and 28 upon which it is mounted. This same limiting support is 'afforded, in part, by the opposite fork arms ii and 32 on the handle. In addition-toils supporting function, the inwardly projecting tongue -40 lBb adds strength to the bolt structure and closes off a considerable portion of the same to access from the outside of the latch, that is, it closes up a substantial portion of the opening occupied by the bolt unit in the housing. The keeper is adjustable, being formed with a base portion 20a of substantially rectangular outline (Figs. 1, 2 and'3) adapted to slide or shift in a recessed portion 22a in the bracket 22,

and the base portion of the keeper being serrated as at 22b to interlock in cooperation with a screw 11 which threads into the bracket through the base portionof the keeper from the '55 is engaged with the latter. By loosening the screw 31, the baseportion of the keeper maybe freed from interlocking engagement with the serrations in the bracket and the keeper may be shifted inwardly and outwardly to meet the requirements of various installations.

In Fig. 6 there is illustrated a modification latch operating mechanism is the same as that heretofore described in so far as: a handle member I3 is arranged to actuate an operating lever 25 through the medium of the offset yoke means bearing against roller means 84.

The principal difference characterizing the modification resides in the provision of a keeper bolt 50 pivoted on'the same pintle it as was employed in the structure of Fig. 1, for exam-- ple. The bolt is provided with a horizontally extending slot 5| into which the end of the opclaims.

crating lever II projects for pivotal engagement with a pivot pin 20a corresponding to the pivot 20 in the arrangement of Fig. 2, ,while the slot II corresponds functionally to the slot llc formed in the tongue part of the hollow bolt. The bolt II is oscillated by the lever ll responsive to manipulation of the handle in the manner described in operating the latch of Fig. 1. The bolt II (Fig. 8), however,is preferably a solid casting, and near its end opposite its pivotal mounting Ii, it is provided with a keeper $2 having a cammed surface portion 53 adapted for. locking cooperation with a keeper roller ll (Figs. 6 and 7) rotatable on a pin II secured between opposite ears It on a base portion 51.

The base portion '1. like the base portion 20a of the device of Fig. 2, is adiustably fitted into the grooved portion ll of -a keeper-mounting bracket It, a single screw 0! being-projected through an enlarged opening ii in the base portion and threaded into the mounting bracket, the opposing surface portions of the bracket and the base member being serrated as at '2 for interlocking engagement of the keeper and bracket when the screw is turned up. By loosening the screw 60, the interlocked serrations are freed so that the base member and roller may be and into and out of the mounting bracket for appropriate-positioning relative to the keeper member 62 onthe bolt 50.

In operation the latch bolt 50 is normally projected so that when the door is slammed the cam portion will strike the roller I4, causing the bolt to recede against the pressure of spring 28 until the keeper nose projects behind the roller as shown in Fig, 6by reaction of the spring.

One of the advantages of this latter arrangement of cooperating keeper bolt and roller keeper resides in the fact that the roller will take'up some of the initial shock and hence relieve some of the stress on the adiustable base structure 51 when the bolt strikes home.

The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized in other forms of construction and arrangements of parts, andthe specifically described structure herein is not to be construed as a limitation upon the scopeof the invention except as may be provided in the appended my invention, what I desire to protect by Letters Having thus described claim as new and Patent is:

- '1. In a latch, a recessed bolt mounted for pivotal movement into and out of latching position, a

link pivotally connected at one of its ends to pin means in a recessed part of said bolt,said bolt having a tongue portion slotted to fit around said end portion of the link near said pin means to prevent shifting movement of the link along the pin means, and means for effecting movement of said link back and forth for. the purpose of pivoting the bolt.

2. In a latch, a bolt including opposite'wall portlons joined by an intermediate wall portion, a

part of which is turned inwardly between the opposite wall portions, keeper engaging means secured between said'opposite wall portions near one end of the bolt, means arranged near an opposite end of the bolt pivotally mounting the same for movement into and out of engagement with a keeper, -a member arranged for movement back and forth and having an end portion pivotally connected to pin means between said opposite wall portions of thevbolt, said end portion being fitted into a notch formed in the inwardly turned part of the intermediate wall portion whereby said member is prevented from shifting on the connecting pin means thereof, said member having an elongated slot remote from its attachment with the bolt and through which extends a mounting pin, and 'coacting spring and handle means for effecting movement of said member to pivot the bolt into and out of latching position.

3. In a latch, in combination, a pivoted bolt including opposite wall portions joined by an intermediate wall portion, part of which is turned inwardly between said opposite wall portions, a

member pivotally connected at one of its ends to pin means disposed between said opposite wall portions of the bolt, said end portion projecting into a slot formed in said inwardly turned part of the intermediate wall portion whereby to limit shifting movement of said member transversely of its direction of reciprocation, said member being provided with an elongated slot remote from said bolt, a guide pin extending through said elongated slot, spring means normally urging said member in a direction toward said bolt to move the latter into latching position, an operating handle having a bifurcated lever arm fitted around said member and adapted to bear against laterally projecting roller means secured on opposite sides of the member by a transverse pin member secured thereto, said bifurcated portions limiting shifting movement of the member transversely of its direction of reciprocation.

4. In a latch of the type including a bolt and operating handle pivotable about parallel axes and link means interposed between the bolt and handlefor reciprocation by the latter to pivot the bolt into and out of latching position, im-

proved link means comprising an elongated member operatively connected near one end with said.

said laterally enlarged portions, whereby to urge said member and said bolt into a normal position in a direction away from said pin means.

5. In a latch of the type including a bolt movable back and forth, a reciprocable link connected with said bolt to move the same as aforesaid, and handle means operativel'y associated with said link to reciprocate the latter, improved link means comprising an elongatedmember operatively member and having one end bearing against said, pin means and an opposite end bearing againstfromsaid pin means.

connected near one end with said bolt, and provided with a longitudinally enlarged pin slot near an'opposite end, stationary pin means projecting through said slot in a direction transversely-of said member, said member having laterally ex tending shoulder formations disposed between said slot and the connection of the member with said bolt, a coil spring surrounding said said shoulder formations, whereby to urge said member and bolt into a normal position away WILLIAM O. BURKE. 

